RNLI Littlehampton Harbour boat rescue volunteers saved two mariners after their 15ft cuddy sank near the entrance to Littlehampton Harbour on Saturday evening. The Littlehampton lifeboat was called shortly after 19:30 BST, and the men were later taken back to harbour by the D-Class lifeboat, Spirit of Fidelity.
The two mariners used two flares, which helped rescuers locate the sunken boat about 100m south of the harbour entrance. They were found standing in waist-deep water and were described as cold but well after the rescue.
Chris King at Littlehampton RNLI
Chris King, the launch authority at Littlehampton RNLI, left a wedding reception to coordinate the rescue effort. He said: "At Littlehampton RNLI, we're all volunteers who train hard in all weathers, 24/7," and added: "When the pager sounds, we drop everything to save anyone in distress."
King also said: "We're all relieved that the casualties were well despite their ordeal." Coastguards and shore crew met the men at harbour and took them to the lifeboat station to warm up.
Littlehampton Harbour at low tide
The rescue unfolded in a part of the River Arun that can become extremely shallow at low tide, especially at a low spring tide. King said: "The River Arun is one of the fastest-flowing rivers in the UK, but the water can become extremely shallow at low tide, especially a low spring tide like yesterday evening."
The boat had already sunk by the time the men were located, so the flares became the key guide for the response. That left the lifeboat crew working close to the harbour entrance in shallow water, with the men standing in water up to their waists before they were brought back to shore.
Spirit of Fidelity response
The men were transferred to the lifeboat station after reaching harbour, where they were warmed up following the incident. The available facts do not say what caused the 15ft vessel to sink, leaving the flare signal and the shallow-water recovery as the main details of the rescue itself.
